Local government/municipality

Funded by the ERDF through the financial instrument JESSICA, the aim of the ecopark is to compensate for the tree felling during the construction of the second rowing canal by the river Maritsa, provide a natural place for recreation, and restore the ecological stability of the area. This is accomplished by restoring elements of the natural habitat in the river and the land nearby: trees, terrestrial and water plants, and small islands.
(Ref. 1; Ref. 2)

The intervention will be carried out in the Zen neighbourhood, as part of an overarching project which includes the care of green areas and plantation of new trees in the parks, especially those close to public schools. There will be 11 specific areas of intervention within the Zen neighbourhood. In addition, it is underlined the specific service provided by those new areas, such as the positive impact of the green view, the mitigation of effects such as urban pollution and human impact on the environment. (Ref.1.)

Allotment gardens have a long tradition in Hannover, with approximately 20.000 gardens stretching around the city as a green belt. In the last decades, some gardens were threatened by disappearance due to investment interests (Reference 1). With the goal to protect these gardens, the city employed a so-called "Kleingartenkonzept" (allotment concept) in 2016 with the help of the association of allotment gardens (Bezirksverband Hannover der Kleingärtner e.V.). The concept aims to keep the number of existing gardens for social and ecological considerations while allowing for new residential investments which is vital for the growing city. (Reference 2).
As part of the concept, extensive inventory examinations were conducted on areas affected by conversion and restructuring, along with the start of implementation of smaller development projects for housing and the creation of replacement gardens in some areas. Because the need for residential spaces has been covered for until the end of 2019, the conversion of allotments for the said land use has been stopped; it will be revisited in 2024. (Reference 2)
To address the problem of future allotment garden losses, gradual elimination of permanent vacancies has started by creating new smaller and more attractive gardens from oversized ones, by improving accessibility and optimizing spaces, and by modernizing allotments (Reference 2).

The project involves the formation of a statutory Green Belt of 3,500 hectares as part of the broad strategy of the Tyne & Wear County Structure Plan to restrain the further spread of the built environment and to safeguard the city's countryside from encroachment (Ref 2). The Green Belt prevents small villages to merge with large towns, preserving their individual identities, and also accommodates a wide variety of the borough's environmental assets, including Local Wildlife Sites and wildlife corridors (ref 3). It is claimed to contribute significantly to the city's green infrastructure (Ref 1 & 4).
The Green Belt boundaries have not changed since 1998 (Ref 1), but it is currently (in 2020) under reassessment in response to the development needs of adjacent towns (Ref 1). Thus even though the intervention started almost 50 years ago, it is an ongoing process.

The project RUIS (Riqualificazone Urbana Infrastrutture e Sicurezza), stands for the regeneration of urban infrastructure and safety. The initiative is carried out by the municipality of Palermo, in order to improve the urban resiliency of the intervention area, with the creation of further green areas in neighbourhoods dealing with problems of heatwaves and environmental degradation. The main areas which will be the focus of the regeneration process will be those considered to be in degradation state. It is expected that the quality of life of the residents will significantly improve (Ref.1.).

The Belvoirpark has its origins in the 19th century and is one of the oldest landscaped gardens in the region. Set on a beautiful location close to the lake with views of the city and the mountains, the Belvoirpark has retained its specific topography with large level differences and exotic trees. Since the twenties, Gastrosuisse operates here a Hotel Management School with an upscale, publicly accessible restaurant. The former school building was spatially and functionally not integrated into the parkA huge transformation of the Belvoirpark area was done to make the park more green from 2004 – 2015. The transformation of the area around the new construction of the replacement building allowed a reappraisal of the previous situation. (Ref 1)

The Werd Administration Centre contains a green park that provides a good variety of trees with an aesthetic view of the city. Ornamental cherry trees create a lively atmosphere, in the spring with their double-blossom flowers, and in the autumn as their canopy changes colour. This park has been renovated a few years back to increase habitat diversity. The building itself got another renovation in 2014. (Ref 1)

It is one of the most famous parks in the city. A re-design is offering the opportunity to make use of the full potential of the place and to put it back into the public’s focus – as a place for recreation, a park, a promenade and Zurich’s very own, most central urban park. An urban square was formed, representing generosity and offering space for multiple functions. A gateway from park to courtyard during the daytime, the mirroring water surfaces of the illuminated pools, and the annex’s reflecting façade create the atmosphere of a grotto at night (Ref 1).

The Generalunternehmung Losinger Marazzi AG is developing a sustainable city quarter with Greencity, incorporating alley trees, pocket parks, house gardens, and green areas attached to the buildings (Ref 2). The landscape concept contrasts the new concentration of urban housing, services, and businesses with the landscape’s natural geomorphological features. The place is very close to the Sihl river. The river landscape defines western and eastern Manegg which benefit from other characteristic natural features, forests and the grasslands of the Entlisberger embankment. The newly erected, densely built “GreenCity” dovetails with the natural landscape it’s nested in (Ref 1).

The public awareness campaign 'flowers for bees' was initiated by the French Apidology Observatory (OFA) and has taken place each year since 2017 (Ref. 7). In 2017, 100 000 bags of honey-seed - whose flowers produce pollen and nectar - were distributed throughout the national territory of France on Tuesday 20 June as "one of the biggest mobilizations undertaken in a day in favor of a species threatened with extinction" (Ref. 5). The city of Marseille wished to associate itself with the event by organizing a plantation and a distribution of seeds". A total of 5,000 bags were distributed in the city from 20 to 23 June 2017 (Ref. 1).